12 Back to School Read Alouds {Organized by Category}

12 Back to School Read Alouds {Organized by Category}

No comments Back to School, expectations, Kindness, manners, mindset, Read Aloud, rules

The beginning of the year is such an exciting time. There are new students to meet, expectations and procedures to teach, and everything in between.  Despite the craziness that comes with the first few weeks of school, I always find time to read aloud to my students.  Picture books are a great way to have conversations about rules, expectations, behavior, making good choices, kindness and friendship.

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience.  I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase through one of my links, which allows me to buy more books for my classroom.  :)  For more information about my Disclosure Policy, please visit this link.

Below are 12 books that are perfect for the first few weeks of school.  I've organized the books by category, which I hope you find useful.  :)

Books to Reinforce Rules & Expectations

Decibella
If you use voice levels in your classroom, then you might find this book helpful.  Isabella has a really, really loud voice.  With the help of her teacher she learns that there are different voice levels reserved for different kinds of communication tasks.  This book is perfect for talking about voice levels in your classroom. Better yet, if you use a voice level chart, this book is a great way to talk about those levels.  (*see below for a fun surprise).
 
What if Everybody Did That? 
I read this book every year as a follow up to our discussion about our class rules.  It is great for helping students see why we have rules and expectations.  It gives lots of examples of how things would be if everybody went about their day ignoring the rules.

My Mouth is a Volcano
I love this book.  It's perfect for primary students who often struggle with waiting their turn to speak.  It's a fun story, but it is useful in leading a discussion about the need for raising hands and/or waiting for one's turn to speak.

*I've used a voice level chart in my classroom for many years, but after rereading Decibella, I decided to update the version I currently use to one that includes the wording found in this book.  You can grab this (free) voice level chart HERE.  The download includes a few suggestions for displaying the chart in your classroom :)

Books to Reinforce Good Manners

Please, Mr. Panda
Manners are a big deal.  I expect my students to use words like "please" and "thank you" and this book reminds the reader just how powerful these words can be.  The text is very simple and it is a very quick read, but it is great for facilitating a conversation about manners.

I'll Wait, Mr. Panda
Ok, so this book really, truly addresses the act of being patient, but that goes along with having good manners.  In my book, anyhow.  ;)  Again, the text is simple and it is a quick read, but the students "get it" and it's another great lead in to a conversation about good manners (or being patient).

I am a Booger...Treat Me with Respect
Yep, the title is just as gross as the real thing.  But, seriously, this book is a must read. It gives lots of reasons why one should not pick their nose, and gives alternatives to doing so (remember, we're working on manners here).  Sometimes, I read this a few times throughout the year.  (ewww...)

Books to Teach About Mindset

Three Little Words
First of all, the illustrations in this book are precious.  Illustrations aside, it is a great (and simple) read for encouraging students to be persistent.  It's great for leading a conversation about never giving up and moving forward, no matter what obstacles we face.  I know that all sounds so grown up, but the text and illustrations are meant for primary aged students. The message will make even more sense when it is seen and discussed. 

The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes
The character in this story, Beatrice, is a perfectionist, but she eventually makes a mistake.  This book is an important one because often times we have a few students who fear making mistakes. They look at small mistakes as detrimental to their overall success. This book can help facilitate some important conversations about the importance (and power) of making mistakes.

Your Fantastic, Elastic Brain
This book actually shows students how the brain works, but it is perfect for (once again) leading conversations about making mistakes, and how learning and trying new things (even if they are hard) makes our brains grow.

Books that Promote Kindness  & Friendship

Bad Apple: A Tale of Friendship
I love this sweet story of two unlikely friends who, despite the norms of their world, decide that their friendship is most important. At the beginning of the year, students are making new friends, and meeting up with old ones. I think it's good for them to be reminded that any friendship they form should be based on how they feel in their heart, and not based on what others tell them.

What Does it Mean to Be Kind?
Kindness is a recurring theme in my classroom all year long, but I definitely like to get started with it from the get go. This book is great for explaining and showing what kindness looks like (and just how easy it is to be kind).  After reading the book, we usually make a list of ways we can show kindness at school.  Each day, the students choose an act of kindness for the day.

Stick and Stone
This is a sweet story about kindness and friendship.  It shows how friendship can be born out of kindness and that good friends don't give up on one another. 

What are your favorite books for back to school? Feel free to leave your favorite title(s) in the comments below.  :)

DON'T FORGET IT, PIN IT!

Continue Reading

Share It:

The Jelly Donut Difference {Teaching Kindness}

The Jelly Donut Difference {Teaching Kindness}

No comments Kindness, Picture Books, Read Aloud

The topic of kindness is a recurring topic of conversation in my classroom.  Our school promotes kindness every day, and several times a year, I look for opportunities to specifically address this social skill.  One of my favorite ways to talk about important skills that relate to character is with the help of a picture book.

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience.  I earn a small commission each time someone makes a purchase through one of my links.  For more information about my Disclosure Policy, please visit this link.

I recently shared The Jelly Donut Difference by Maria Dismondy with my students and it was a great way to review this concept.  Keep reading for a few ideas and links to free resources!

If your aren't familiar with Maria Dismondy then keep reading and then head on over to Amazon and grab as many of her books as you can. They are a must when it comes to your stash of picture books!

About the Author
Maria has a background in early education, so she knows kids.  She write books with strong moral messages and diverse characters.  Her characters are likeable and students can relate to them.  That's why her books are so great for teaching things like kindness, empathy, and understanding.  Her hope is that kids will remember how the characters in her stories handled difficult situations should they ever find themselves in a similar position.  And chances are, at some point they may.


The Book
The Jelly Donut Difference is a great book to share with your students.  It has amazing illustrations.  And, the story is one that students can relate to.

Dex and Leah are twins who live next door to an older woman who lives alone.  When they learn more about this woman who lives alone, they decide that they want to do nice things for her so that she feels happy and not so lonely.  I'm not going to share all the specifics because you really need to read this book for yourself.  ;) 

In the Classroom
Like any picture book, you can use this story to review story elements, analyze the characters, and the like, but my favorite way to use these sorts of books is to have my students make connections to the text. I like to use it as a means to promote reflection and understanding of the citizenship skills covered in the story.  This story, in particular, drives home the important message of generosity and kindness and I made that the focal point of our follow up activities.

After reading the book, we talked about the author's purpose.  More specifically, we talked about what exactly it was that the author wanted the reader to learn from the story.  Lately, we've been working to more specific when identifying the author's purpose.   

Then, we talked about some important words.  These words aren't used in the text, but they are all represented in the text. I thought that these words would be appropriate to discuss and then connect to the text:

• thoughtful
• kindness
• empathy
• compassion
• generosity

It isn't necessary to use all of these words, of course. I didn't.  I chose the ones that I felt my students would be most likely to understand and relate to the text.  You can grab the anchor chart pieces HERE (the download includes all the words listed above).

As you can see, I put the definition of each word on the anchor chart.  Then, as a group we thought of examples in the text where these qualities were seen in action with the characters.

I left the chart up because I wanted my students to be reminded of these important qualities and because I wanted them to choose one to focus on.  I often task my students with setting kindness goals at school, but this allowed them to try and engage in other forms of selfless action.

I also had my students write a letter to the author.  We are currently in the midst of a letter writing unit, so it seemed perfect!  In the body of their letters, they wrote about what they liked about the story, as well as what they learned from it.  From there, they were free to write whatever else they wanted including asking the author a question or two.  I enjoyed reading their responses and seeing where it led their thoughts. You can grab this letter writing template HERE.  :)

If you're looking to add a meaningful picture book to your collection of resources, be sure to check out The Jelly Donut Difference.  It's sure to be a book you go to year after year.

Happy reading!

DON'T FORGET IT, PIN IT!

I received this product for free to provide an honest review.  All opinions expressed within this post are genuine and impartial.
 

Continue Reading

Share It:

Be Kind!

Be Kind!

No comments Kindness

This week, my school hosted an Anti-Bullying/Kindness week.  I'll tell you what, the timing could not have been more perfect.  My second graders were in need of some reminders about kindness (it's that time of year). Today's post is a quick peek at some of the activities we did this week.

I read aloud several books. Here's a look at some of the titles we read.  Each one is perfect for addressing kindness, friendship, and/or bullying.

After reading The Recess Queen earlier in the week, we brainstormed words to describe Mean Jean and made this poster, based on a similar one I found on Pinterest.  We talked about how these words described a bully, not a kind person.  Then, the students wrote in their journals about ways in which they are not bullies. Their writing focused on how they show kindness.  A few students ended up calling themselves the "Kindness King" or "Kindness Queen."  Hehe.

I always read Chrysanthemum at the beginning of the year, but I read it again this week.  The kids love it, and it's a great book to use when when talking about the impact of our words.  Second graders know that words can hurt, so after discussing this concept, we explored how easy it is to say unkind words.  I gave each table group a tube of toothpaste and a paper plate.  Their job?  Squirt all the toothpaste out.

Then, I gave them a plastic toothpick and asked them to put the toothpaste back into their tube.  Immediately, they realized how difficult this was.  They complained that it was too hard, and declared that it was downright impossible.  Then, we discussed how our words are like the toothpaste that was easily squeezed out of the tube.  That is, it's easy to say mean things to others.  Then, we talked about how those words can't be taken back, just like the toothpaste couldn't be put back into the tube.  It was a great illustration!  I found this idea on Pinterest.

One of my goals this week was to also remind the students that our differences are what make us unique and that if we were all the same, we'd live in a pretty boring world.  Our differences should be celebrated, not ridiculed.  I read Spaghetti in a Hot Dog Bun and we discussed the story (being comfortable with being different, standing up for oneself, treating others with kindness). 

Then, we thought about how we are all different/special and made these fun word frames.  The students thought it was hilarious to stick their heads through the opening in each of their frames. Truth be told, it was pretty funny. I originally saw this idea on Pinterest.

My favorite read alouds of the week were tied to some great discussions (The Yellow Tutu, Marlene, Marlene, Queen of Mean, and Bullies Never Win).  Originally, I planned to task the students with writing a poem after reading one of the books, and to make a class anchor chart after reading the others, but sometimes your plans go out the window.  After each reading, I engaged the students in conversation about the content/message in the book and found that they were so receptive to our discussions that we ran out of time for the other stuff!  It soon became obvious to me that the students felt like they had a voice and  could relate to the topic. They simply wanted to be heard.  And, sometimes, you just have to do what's best for the kids at a given point in time.

Don't forget to encourage your students to be kind today!  Toodles!

Continue Reading

Share It:

We are Ready for RAK Week!

We are Ready for RAK Week!

3 comments Freebies, Kindness, National RAK Week

This year, I thought it would be fun to have my students participate in RAK Week.  Over the past few weeks, we have worked on several different ways to spread kindness around our school.  I thought it was important that the students focus on promoting kindness and happiness within the school community. After all, this is their world outside of home, it should be a place they want to be.  Now, the burning question is, are the acts still random even though they were pre-planned? Hehe.

Next week (which is RAK week) is a four day week for us, so I planned for four random acts of kindness.  We are going to kick off our kindness campaign with these kindness posters.  This is the sample I shared with the students.

Then, I paired the students up to make their own.  Here's a sampling of their creations.

They colored the poster, glued it to black paper, and then used these fun, sparkly foam stars to add a bit of pizazz. We made 11 posters in all.  I'm going to hang these posters around the school and leave them up the whole week.  Hopefully they remind others to be kind and spread a little kindness around!

You can grab a set of these FREE posters {HERE}.

On Tuesday, we're going to share these bookmarks with another class.  These bookmarks are a freebie from Ashley Hughes. Aren't they adorable?

Before we made them, I explained to the students that part of our RAK mission was to act anonymously.  I explained that we shouldn't be seeking attention for our acts.  Instead, the purpose of what we are doing is to bring joy to others, not recognition to ourselves.

On Wednesday, we will send a bag of Oreos to another class.  I'm sure that will bring some smiles to some little faces!  Since we are acting anonymously, the students signed this card with smiley faces.

 
On Thursday, our last RAK day of the week, we will send these hand made cards to another class.  The students used crayons and watercolors to make a simple card.  They wrote the words you see below with white crayon and then painted over the words using watercolor paint.  On the inside, they wrote fun messages like: "Have a great day!" and "You are awesome!" and " Don't forget to smile!" and so on.

The nice thing about kindness is that it can be spread any time, not just during RAK Week.  And, it can be done on a grand scale, or on a small scale.  Hopefully, you can use an idea or two to spread some kindness around your building!

Toodles!

Continue Reading

Share It: